Introduction to Illustration (short course)

Why study this course?

If you are an aspiring illustrator, learning to visualise text and ideas in both single images and in narrative form will provide you with a highly transferable set of skills for our highly visual contemporary culture. In the creative industries and beyond, being able to communicate ideas through visually arresting images is becoming increasingly essential.

The course is about learning the processes and techniques to communicate ideas through image-making. You'll be guided through the process of answering a brief and learn to research a subject, and generate and communicate ideas.

We'll introduce you to a variety of traditional and contemporary tools and techniques including collage, cut-outs, drawing, paint, 3D objects and digital, and will also help you evaluate the context in order to select the most appropriate.

There will be an exploration of the relationship between text and image and an introduction to different approaches in visual storytelling.

During the course you will create a portfolio of work using a range of media and be given an insight into what's involved in setting up an illustration practice.

Your teacher on this short course is an acknowledged illustrator, Alice Stevenson.

By the end of the course, you'll be able to:

research, generate and communicate ideas to answer a brief

explore working with a wide range of media and select medium appropriate to your subject matter

explore the relationship between text and image and evaluate the context

communicate a narrative through a single image and sequential narratives

narrative illustration: exercise involving converting a written story into a panel or eight images (a narrative illustration brief where you'll use randomly selected words to create a simple narrative which will be developed into a six-page book)

narrative illustration: continuing work on the book project

narrative illustration: completion and group critique of book project (followed by demonstrations on book cover illustration, hand-drawn type and model making)

book cover/3D illustration: working individually to create either a book cover image or a model based on your book

overview and discussion of the contemporary illustration market, self-editing and creating a portfolio

Photoshop basics: scanning and cleaning up work to create a series of jpegs for a web/print portfolio

How to apply

To book on to one of our short courses, click the apply button to visit our eShop.

When to apply

Please note, the deadline to book a place on one of our short courses is one week before the start date. If you have missed the deadline, please get in touch and we will do our best to accommodate you.